4 Genres To Keep An Eye On In AR Gaming

Augmented reality may already feel like it’s been around for a while. Really though, we’re less than a year into people having this exciting technology available on their smartphones. When Google and Apple unveiled augmented reality development platforms in 2017, it sparked a new era of mobile entertainment; almost immediately, AR categories emerged and were quickly populated, in app stores.

When the dust settled though, it became clear that we’re still in the very early stages with all this. There’s much more to come, and as mobile AR gaming really takes shape there are bigger genres that will almost certainly emerge. These are the ones we’d be on the lookout for.

IMAGE: MASHABLE

1. Sports Games

Full-fledged sports games such as we’re used to are going to be tricky to do much within AR. One can certainly imagine versions of, say, FIFA, Madden, or the NBA 2K series that are arranged such that they play out on tabletops. Actually, it’s sort of a thrilling idea. But in the meantime, it’s a little bit of a surprise that original sports games haven’t had more of an impact.

There are some decent reviews for a few bare-bones early attempts like AR Sports Basketball, but it’s easy to imagine a full range of AR apps that take certain aspects of sports and make them feel real. Shooting a basketball, taking a penalty kick in soccer, hitting baseball pitches, and more activities are actually very well suited to AR and should be along in time.

2. AR Board Games

Augmented reality developers have actually come out with some new board games and done quite well with them. Echelon, for instance, has been compared to the infamous “HoloChess” from Star Wars (which most fans will probably agree is an intriguing idea at the least). It could well be that whole new batches of tabletop strategy games and even animated RPGs are on the way, and will comprise one of the biggest categories on AR.

That said, it would also be nice to see classic board games resurrected. Games like Life, Monopoly, Stratego, Battleship, and plenty of others have already been modernized in app form, so perhaps they’ll be in AR soon as well.

3. Casino Games

It’s certainly no secret that on the internet, casino gaming is a massive business. Yet even online there tends to be some acknowledgment of the loss of atmosphere from the real thing. As a guide to online slots put it, visiting a top casino just wouldn’t be the same without the electric buzzing and beeping of the machines (not to mention the visual appeal of the surroundings).

This is something online casino games have largely made up for via themes and animations – but it’s also something that can be replicated via AR. Through augmented reality, everything from a slot machine to a poker tournament can be played out in space with artificial surroundings meant to approximate what it actually feels like to be in a casino. That’s an opportunity that won’t be missed.

4. Trivia & Game Shows

This is a category that is getting less attention than some of the others, but which is a lot of fun to imagine. Think about your favorite trivia or game show, be it Jeopardy, Who Wants To Be A Millionaire, or anything else. Now imagine your surroundings morphing into those from the game such that you can play along and actually feel like you’re on a show participating.

For that matter, think about how some of the existing karaoke-style music apps could be spun into AR replications of shows like The Voice or American Idol. There’s a whole genre’s worth of potential here that is as yet untapped.